New water treatment technology Flows into The Market

Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Article Date: 06 Jun 2005 - 12:00 PDT

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Innovative new water treatment technology that can map out odours from sewage works or predict failure in a wastewater treatment plant, is one step closer to market thanks to a funding package of over £0.5 million being awarded to Cranfield University (UK).

The funding package includes a £150,000 investment from NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), the organisation dedicated to supporting UK innovation, £150,000 from Oxford Technology 4 VCT, £53,000 from Cranfield Enterprises Ltd and £193,000 from business angels.

Mark White, NESTA Invention and Innovation Director, said:

"We are delighted to be part of the team backing the development of this ground-breaking technology. These ideas address current industry issues and illustrate the kind of innovation and creativity that NESTA is here to help commercialise in the UK".

The technologies have been developed by Water Innovate Ltd (WIL) part of the School of Water Sciences (SWS) at Cranfield University, which is dedicated to bringing ideas from research outputs in the water and wastewater sectors to the market.

There are six new technologies which will receive further development, each of which addresses current issues in the water and wastewater industries and are critical to the wellbeing of all communities and the environment.

The most developed of the technologies is OdourSim - an odour modelling software package which can predict odours from sewage works and help produce more accurate odour contour maps, similar to weather charts. N-Tox is a nitrification toxicity monitor, which can provide warning of a failure at a wastewater treatment plant several hours prior to a failure, allowing for immediate remedial action. This is particularly vital in industrial effluents such as landfill leachate and pharmaceutical wastewaters where high levels of ammonia can be found, rendering failure of the plant more serious.

An advanced water/wastewater treatment chemical additive will be developed to condition both water (i.e. drinking water) and wastewater (i.e. sewage). It has the added benefits of higher efficiency, lower operating costs and better operational performance than conventional additives.

The remaining three technologies are advanced or tertiary treatment technologies. The Membrane Chemical Reactor (MCR) combines ultra-violet light and titanium dioxide to remove pollutants from high "chemical oxygen demand" and coloured effluents, such as those produced by the dyeing industry. An Odour Extraction Membrane Reactor (OEMR), removes odour-causing molecules from air, with particular applications for odour control in the sewage, waste management and oil and gas sectors. Finally, the Nitrification-Denitrification Reactor (NDR), is a novel technology to remove nitrogen from wastewater that avoids the need for chemical additives.

The six technologies will be taken to market by Water Innovate over the next 4 - 18 months, with each currently at a different stage of development.

The Water Innovate Managing Director, Dr Steve Callister, said:

"Water Innovate already had the bright people with the exciting technology. It now has the missing ingredient, the necessary funding from NESTA, Oxford Technology 4 VCT, Cranfield and business angels, to really develop and grow a truly great business."

Water Innovate Ltd (WIL) was formed in December 2003 as a spin out company from the School of Water Sciences (SWS) at Cranfield University, and is focused on the commercial exploitation of six technologies developed by the SWS for the water and wastewater industries.

• WIL is run by a management team comprising John Catling (Executive Chairman), Dr Steve Callister (Managing Director) and Professor Tom Stephenson (Technical Director). Other key staff include Dr Peter Gostelow (Product Manager, OdourSim) supported by six academic staff at the SWS - Professor Simon Judd, Dr Simon Parsons, Dr Bruce Jefferson, Dr Phil Longhurst, Dr Paul Jeffrey and Dr Elise Cartmell.

• NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) was established by Act of Parliament in 1998 to pioneer ways of supporting and promoting talent, innovation and creativity in science, technology and the arts.

• NESTA's Invention and Innovation Programme is the UK's biggest single source of early stage seed-funding and aims to turn ground-breaking ideas into innovative products, services or techniques with commercial potential.

• NESTA's income initially came from the interest on an endowment of £200 million from National Lottery funds. In February 2003, NESTA received an additional £50 million bringing the endowment up to £250 million and an extra £45 million to use as revenue expenditure until 2006 (£15 a year from 2003). NESTA plans to spend over £20 million a year on UK creativity and innovation.

• Since May 2000, NESTA has spent over £40 million on more than 387 awards.

• NESTA has a dedicated Media Room on its web site where news releases like this are easily available and where journalists can subscribe to receive any future releases. Other information, including high resolution images to download and Press Office contact details, are also available at www.nesta.org/mediaroom

Reference URL
nesta.org.uk

SOURCE: http://www.alphagalileo.org

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